OPULENT AND STYLISHLY ELEGANT - THE IVY ASIA

Prepare to be amazed as you step into the city’s most opulent and stylishly elegant restaurant The Ivy Asia

From the moment you pass through the heavy wood polished door into the ground floor reception area the décor will take your breath away. There’s a wonderfully designed reception desk with an equally wonderful friendly and welcoming receptionist who will take your coats and umbrellas – even though they are soaking wet as ours were – and make you feel a truly special and important guest.

I loved the fact that the reception was spacious and had seating including a velvet sofa, always welcome when you are waiting for other members of your party or someone is parking the car.

As we had had a long walk in the rain we decided to take the lift and when its doors opened a mystical fantasy of oriental splendour unfurled and literally took our breath away – this place has an ambience like no other.

The décor is striking and decadent to say the least with murals, art inspired gilded wallpaper, tasteful golden statues and a sculptured ceiling that wouldn’t look out of place in a palace. The lighting is mood matched but it’s the green gem stone floor that is lit from underneath that really impresses.

The seating and tables at Ivy Asia are expertly choreographed so wherever you sit you are guaranteed privacy. There are tables for two or four plus velvet upholstered banquette seating in a semi recess positions filled with gloriously matched cushions.

Attention to detail is always a prime consideration at all Ivy Restaurants and the Ivy Asia is no exception. Sparkling crystal glasses sit next to gleaming cutlery and designer napkin rings and chopstick holders with exquisitely matched napkins.

Our server introduced himself and gave us time to peruse the menu and make our choices. He offered advice when we asked questions and never rushed us. We were his main priority at all times.

For a starter I chose the crispy wontons that came with two dips – a very smooth yoghurt one and a Sechuane dipping sauce plus a serving of refreshing cucumber. As I am not a lover of all things spicey these were perfect for me and the presentation as with all our dishes was a work of art. If you are like me and don’t enjoy hot or spicy food, then the menu has a code at the side of each dish showing a red dot for spicy and hot dishes.

My colleague opted for the Maki Rolls. These are Sushi rolls made with rice and wrapped in seaweed and cut elegantly into bite size pieces. Her choice of an Avocado, Cucumber and Asparagus Roll came with a Wasabi dip and was a Vegan choice.

The taste combination was simply amazing with sliced ginger to give it an added kick.

Our next course was from the small plates selection. My choice of Prawn Har Gow Dumplings was a good one. Dumplings can sometimes be tasteless but these oozed flavour.

The dumplings were piping hot with a crispy sesame seed crust that added a delicate flavour to the dish. The dumplings were filled with a generous filling of juicy prawns and served with chives and ponzu a citrus based thin sauce which made a wonderful combination.

The crispy duck spring rolls my colleague chose were she said like ‘no other’ They were packed with meat and vegetables and accompanied by a very tasty hoisin sauce.

My main course came from the large plates section and was according to my server one of the most popular dishes on the menu and its easy to see why.

It was the slow roasted Black Cod Miso – a 48 hour miso marinated glazed Alaskan cod. It was a large serving of fish and cooked to perfection making it moist, flaky and flavoursome with a melt in the mouth texture. The Black Cod had a silky, buttery taste and the miso marinate added a sweetness to it.

Wok Fried Lobster and Duck Fried Rice was the spicy dish chosen by my colleague. It was a very generous portion with large pieces of duck and lobster and the fusion of flavours including fragrant herbs, lychee and sambai was amazing.

We shared a side of the delicious combination of Cucumber, Peanut and Coriander Salad was the perfect accompaniment to this dish and it looked as good as it tasted.

Desserts at Ivy Asia are absolutely out of this world – suffice to say my colleagues Green Lantern was a new take on white chocolate and honeycomb cheesecake. Served with raspberry pearls and mango sauce it had all manner of hidden delicious surprises.

My heaven on a plate could have come from the Angels Kitchen. I chose the Lantern – a white chocolate sphere containing vanilla ice cream that is simply magic as when the server pours over a hot sauce of passion fruit, coconut and pineapple and it becomes a delicious concoction that is to be savoured.

The Ivy Asia is a palatial place where a feast awaits in a never to be forgotten atmosphere . Its perfect for any occasion whether its dinner or lunch with friends or family, a special occasion or the ultimate date night!